Anger Versus Love
by silvermooncatgirl
Summary: Ash and May start feeling something for each other, but when Ash plucks up the courage to ask May she flies off the handle!
1. The Story

Ash watched May leaping up and down and grinned.

The pretty announcer pinned the bright orange ribbon onto May's jacket. May beamed up at the crowd and as she did so, she saw Pikachu, Brock, Max and Ash cheering her on from their front row seats. Her eyes sparkled as she saw the huge grins on all of their faces.

"Well done, May!"  
"Thanks!" May threw her arms around Ash and then backed away; a nervous laugh rising in her throat. Brock and Max hugged May too, and then they all stood staring at each other, grins plastered all over their faces.  
"I'm hungry," Ash said.  
"Naturally," May remarked, laughing, and they walked to the Pokemon Centre for some free food and a place to sleep.

_That night..._

"Ash?"  
"Mmmph," Ash groaned, turning over on his side and opening his eyes.  
"Ash!"  
"I'm awake," he muttered.  
"Will you help me?"May asked, and as Ash craned his neck to look up at her he saw a tear slide down her pale cheek. He sat up immediately.  
"What's up?" he asked, reaching out an arm and wrapping it around May. "May - what's the matter?"  
"I can't find Skitty anywhere," she wailed, flinging her arms around Ash. He gently stroked her shoulder as she sobbed on his chest and then pulled away, mascara smeared all over her face. Ash wiped away a tear on her cheek and pretended not to notice the black gunk smeared on his fingers.  
"OK," he said, getting out of bed and handing May a tissue from the bedside table. "C'mon then."

"Thanks Ash," May said, cuddling Skitty, who was still asleep. "I... I'm sorry I cried all over you, I was just worried."  
"That's--that's--that's..." Ash said, failing to stifle a huge yawn. "OK. Goodnight."  
May climbed back into bed and buried her face in Skitty's pink fur.  
"Night Ash," she called, as she heard Ash's footsteps fade away on the landing.

"MAY!"  
May opened her eyes and growled, "Max! Go away! I'm trying to sleep!"  
"No, no, you have to get up now!"  
"WHY?" May shrieked, flinging herself out of bed and yanking open the door. Max stood there, already dressed, beaming at her. He was holding a big pink and white balloon.  
"What?" May asked, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.  
"Happy birthday!"  
"Oh!" May grinned; she had totally forgotten. Brock burst out of his room holding another balloon and a wrapped present. Ash did the same, though his present was considerably larger than Brock's. May beamed at them and hugge Max. Then she noticed her hair in the shiny surface of the balloon and ran back into her room.

Ten minutes later, a fully dressed and made-up May sat at the table downstairs opening her presents.  
"Thanks, Brock," she said, putting her new heart shaped seals onto Skitty's Poke Ball. "They're lovely."  
"Open mine next," Max said, thrusting a package into May's hands.  
"It's... a new pair of sunglasses," May said unenthusiastically, as she lifted a tiny pair of sparkly yellow sunglasses from the tissue paper nest they were settled in. "Thank you, Maxie, but... well, I don't know whether they'll fit."  
"No, I thought they wouldn't," Max said, taking them from her and sticking them on his face. He looked ridiculous.  
"Mine last," Ash said, as Pikachu toddled across the table with a present.  
May opened the box and gasped. "Ash! They're beautiful!"  
"Thanks," Ash grinned, and helped May fix the coral necklace around her neck. He reached further into the box and brought out a matching bracelet and fixed it around her wrist.  
He looked down into her eyes as she beamed up at him, and their eyes met. "Thank you, Ash," she said softly.

"C'mon," Brock said to Max, as they raced down the path to the forest.  
"Ash? Walk with me?"  
"OK," Ash replied, and he and May walked together. It was silent. The quiet was pressing against May's chest and obstructing her breathing. "I-" she began and then fell silent.  
"May?" Ash had stopped and was facing her again. "I need to tell you something..."


	2. Chapter 2

"What?" May asked, though there was a dull excitement rising in her stomach.  
"Well..." Ash looked around; they were not alone. There were several children playing with their Pokemon, a few adults talking and three boys their own age looking curiously at May, presumably recognising her from the contest the previous day.  
"Come over here," Ash said, walking off the path and into the green shadows of the edge of the forest. May looked around, a little bewildered smile on her face.  
"What?" she asked, gripping Ash's arm. His face set in a controlled line and he replied,  
"I can't stop thinking about you."

May's heart gave an almighty thump and she gaped at Ash. Then she realised it had been about two minutes and Ash was looking uncomfortable. He blinked as she closed her mouth and put her head in her hands.  
"I'm sorry..." Ash said quietly, and then walked away.  
"Wait!" May shouted, and Ash turned around, a hopeful smile on his face.  
"You too?" he asked, and half-raised his arms as if he was expecting a hug.  
"No," May said, though she was fighting the urge to run at him. "No, Ash, I'm so sorry..."  
"Right, OK," Ash said, turning on his heel and storming away.

May sat up and rubbed her eyes. Skitty, who she had let out of its Poke Ball to comfort her, gambolled around a little way away, being no comfort whatsoever.  
"Skitty, return," she gulped, and Skitty, in mid-hop, was returned to its Poke Ball.  
"May?" That was Max's voice, so May got up and attempted to smile.

"Please pass the salt, Ash," May asked in a tiny voice, later at dinner. Ash handed her the shaker, carefully avoiding her gaze and then retreating to his place across the table. May added some salt to her plate and then said, "Actually, I'm not so hungry. I'm going up to bed early."  
"Night May," Brock said. "I hope you're not ill."  
"Me too," Max said. Ash grunted.

"What's going on?"  
"Nothing!"  
"Ash, answer us! We're just trying to help you. May's obviously upset, you're obviously upset! C'mon, tell us."  
"We want to help!"  
"FINE!" Ash shouted, startling several other diners in the Pokemon Centre resteraunt. "I love May. I'm in love with her."  
"WHAT?" Max gaped across the table at Ash.  
"What?" Brock said, though with less conviction. "Well, I guessed that would happen."  
"I thought she loved me too," Ash said. "I mean, last night when she lost Skitty... she came into my room, crying, so I comforted her and helped her find Skitty -"  
"Where was it?" Max asked.  
"Does that matter?" Ash exclaimed. "In a hospital bed downstairs."  
Max laughed, and then resumed his serious expression as Ash continued.  
"So I... told her how I felt. She cried, I think, again, and then I ran away," he finished lamely.  
"Does she feel the same way?"  
"No."  
"She might do... she might have been so shocked that she said no." Max said, reasonably.  
"Well..." Brock said thoughtfully. "As an experienced dater, I know girls -"  
"No, you do not," Max said, twisting Brock's ear extra hard.  
"I'm off to bed now," Ash said, and he walked slowly from the room, Pikachu following.

May lay in her bed, trying to stifle the sobs which racked her. Why had she turned Ash down? Why? She could picture him in her mind, smiling as Pikachu played with her Skitty, him hugging her after she'd won the contest. She loved Ash, always had done. She guessed it was the heat of the moment which had forced her to say no... Perhaps it would be more romantic if she asked him...  
She kept thinking that she could hear knocking on her door and jerking out of bed. "Who's there?" she finally asked, sick of her mind playing tricks on her.  
"Ash."


	3. Chapter 3

"Ash?" May whispered, and got out of bed to snap on the light. Blinking a little in the sudden light, she brushed her fingers through her hair self-conciously.  
"Yeah," Ash said, and May opened the door.

The minute she'd opened the door, Ash reached into her room and turned the light off.

"What are you doing?" May asked, stumbling backwards to sit with a thump on her bed.  
"I wanted to talk to you," Ash said.  
"What about?" May asked, as though she were innocent of harbouring an all-consuming love for him.  
"Us," Ash said. "I don't care if you don't feel the same way, it won't stop me feeling the way I do."  
"Oh, Ash," May said. "I do care for you, I was just... shocked, and scared, and -"  
She broke off as Ash took hold of her face.  
"What are you thinking right now?" Ash asked her softly.  
"I -"  
She broke off as Ash kissed her. Her mind was whirling; this was amazing.  
"About that," she whispered, as they parted, and then Ash grinned at her.  
"Me too," he murmured. "So... what are we going to do?"  
May kissed him again playfully. "This," she said.  
"Good plan," Ash chuckled and took hold of her hands. "No, really. Are you going to tell everyone about us so we'll be a gossip subject or something?"  
"I..." May chewed her lip thoughtfully. "I don't know."  
"I don't want everyone knowing that a future Pokemon Master is dating a future Contest Winner," Ash said.  
"No. It would be weird," May said. "I'd be winning the elite competiton or something and all everyone could talk about was how she was dating Ash Ketchum."  
"Yeah," Ash said, though he had been watching her face as she talked and hadn't heard most of it. "Well, goodnight then," he added, getting up to go.  
"No!" May said, clamping a hand to her mouth as she realised how loud her voice had just been.  
"Well... I guess Brock and Max will come in to check on me, 'cause I left the table so sad, so I'll come back later."  
Ash slipped from the room.

"May! MAY!"  
Ash's whisper grew in intensity as May crept to the door and opened it. Ash was standing there, in his old nightshirt. May thought he looked newly wonderful in it. He looked at his watch; the iluminating green numbers read 01:29.  
"I thought you were asleep," Ash whispered, as he took her in his arms and shut the door.  
"I was!" May admitted, laying her head on his chest as they sat down on the armchair by her bed.  
"Brock and Max said they'd sleep in my room, in their sleeping bags, 'cause I was sad," Ash said, "That was why I came so late. I think Brock must've been dreaming about some girl, because he kept waking up and shouting about Jenny and Joy."  
"That figures," May said, stifling a giggle.  
"Shh," Ash said, "My room's right next door."  
"Oh, OK," May said. "What I had in mind is pretty quiet. Not that!" she added hastily, as she saw Ash's eyebrows raise.  
"Right," Ash said, smiling down at her. He pulled her onto his knee and kissed her again.

"Morning Ash," May said, with a hint of a wink.  
"Good morning," Ash said, turning round on his way to the bathroom and sticking his tongue out at her. Brock smiled at May as he came out of his room to see her grinning. "Nice to see you're happy," he remarked. May nodded.  
"Oh, erm, yeah! I feel much better today. New day, y'know."  
"Great to see it," said Brock, and then he caught sight of Nurse Joy entering someone's room to clean it and ran after her.  
"Yep," May chuckled to herself. "Thought he'd do that."  
"MAY!"  
"Max! Stop shouting," May hissed, as Max cannoned across the hall and gave her a huge hug. "Morning! What's got into you this morning?"  
"I don't know," Max admitted, his face squashed against her stomach, "But Brock told me to give you a big hug last night, because you were sad."  
"Well," May said. "I'm definately not now!"


End file.
